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Shuswap Lake, B.C.–"Driving a houseboat is like pushing a large refrigerator down the street on a skateboard," grins Lake Louise physician Brian Page, at the helm.

It may take some skill, but you'd never know it on B.C.'s Shuswap Lake this summer, as thousands of Canadians take to the water in houseboats with no signs of turbulence.

The sprawling blue lake in B.C.'s North Okanagan region is the houseboating capital of Canada. Its floating cottages accommodate up to 24 passengers apiece in surprising comfort.

On a summer day, as many as 200 houseboats are seen on the lake.

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Sounds a tad crowded, doesn't it?

Thankfully, Shuswap, shaped like a four-tentacled octopus, boasts more than 1,000 kilometres of shoreline.

It's easy enough to escape the throng.

"We took off for Ansley Arm, the most uninhabited corner of the lake," says Page. "It has no tourism infrastructure, no towns, no shops, no beer stores. It has just tranquility, beauty and wilderness – precisely what we wanted."

For four days, Page is captain of the Inland Explorer. He rented the craft from Twin Anchors, the lake's largest houseboat company, which has a fleet of 110 boats.

It's also the oldest, doing business since 1977.

The Inland Explorer is a handsome, two-storey boat sleeping, according to the brochure, up to 15 people.

"Hah," says Page, "With that many people, you'd be running up each others' backs like crazed rodents. But it sleeps six nicely."

The houseboat has a kitchen with stove and dining table seating six, plus accessories from corkscrew to coffee maker. There's a gas fireplace, a TV-DVD and a gas barbecue.

Front and rear stairs lead to the Bridge Deck, which has a suntan area, hot tub and water slide.

The latter is a huge hit with summering families. The sounds of summer and happiness can come at you in Dolby sound.

Twin Anchors offers five houseboat styles to choose from.

Some of the larger, more luxe houseboats rival cruise ships for creature comforts.

They have staterooms with queen-size beds and flat-screen TVs, elaborate entertainment centres and hot tubs with swim-up bars.

If you're seriously hooked on houseboats, the company will even custom-build one for you, everything from floating condos to cruising catamarans.

Houseboats can be navigated from both levels of the vessel. Designated drivers, captain and co-captain automatically receive a 45-minute orientation session to learn the ropes.

Some houseboaters attempt to negotiate the entire lake, pausing at such ports-of-call as Sicamous, Salmon Arm, Eagle Bay, and Canoe. Others find their own little corner of paradise and wander no farther. Yet others party relentlessly.

Houseboaters can disembark to sample local wines at the Recline Ridge and Larch Hill wineries, hike through cedar forest to Albas Falls on Seymour Arm, drop into the Salmon Arm Farmer's Market for superb B.C. produce and search for aboriginal petroglyphs at half a dozen points on the lake.

Swimming, water-sliding, fishing, hiking, wildlife viewing, picnicking and other standards from the B.C. wilderness canon go without saying as things to do.

Everyone offers a different tale:

"I'm happy with the wildlife," says Howard, from Toronto.

"In just a few days, I've seen deer, loons, osprey and half a dozen bald eagles. I've done some fishing. The only bites I had were mosquito bites, but I did see a whopper rainbow trout jumping."

"For me, it's a floating resort," says Gert, from Saint John.

"Even if it rains, you can start a fire, watch movies, cook a fancy dinner, jump in the hot tub or even swoosh off the waterslide. Don't we Canadians cherish our summers?"

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